A Leaching Type Antibacterial Agent in the Easy-care Finishing of Knitted Cotton Fabric

A leaching type antibacterial agent (namely Tinosan® CEL) is incorporated in an easy-care finishing formulation of knitted cotton fabric. Finishing is conducted at different conditions including type of softener (Solusoft® WA 90ET, Leomin® NI-ET, Ultratex® 7723, Sapamin® KLNEW, and Siligen® TX 2490), crosslinker (Arkofix® NG-ET, Fixapret® CPN, and Knittex® FEL), and catalyst (Knittex® Catalyst Mo, NH4Cl, MgCl2 . 6H2O, and ZnSO4) as well as concentrations of `Knittex® FEL/ZnSO4' and Tinosan® CEL besides curing time and temperature. It is found that optimal additives to Tinosan® CEL that afford maximum overall antibacterial activities (against Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa) and hydrophilicity to the fabric finished by the pad-dry-cure method (100% wet pick up; drying at 100°C/5 min; curing at 160°C/5 min) were: Knittex® FEL (50 g/L)/ ZnSO4 (5 g/L) and Siligen® TX2490 (20 g/L) along with a wetting agent (2 g/L) and acetic acid (1 g/L). The impact of Tinosan® CEL alone (bath I), coupled with Siligen® TX2490 (bath II), or both in combination with Knittex® FEL/ZnSO4 (bath III) on whiteness index, surface roughness, drape coefficient, air permeability, bursting strength, abrasion resistance, and crease recovery angle of the fabric is investigated. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) of data obtained is carried out at P-value ≤ 0.05. Moreover, the effect of Tinosan® CEL concentration in bath III on these properties is also studied. Durability of antibacterial activity, expressed as inhibition clear zone, using 10 g/L of Tinosan® CEL in bath I or II continues to 10 washing cycles. However, treatment with bath III attains durability even after 25 washing cycles.